As 2026 approaches, employers should review the changes in this year’s legal landscape to ensure that they are continuing to follow the law to date and are prepared for future changes. Surprisingly, in 2025, New York enacted...more
11/14/2025
/ Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
The New York City Council recently amended the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) to align with the requirements of the Temporary Schedule Change Act (TSCA).
These amendments, enacted on October 25, 2025,...more
10/31/2025
/ Amended Legislation ,
City of New York ,
Compliance ,
Earned Sick Time ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Safe Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government
After a lengthy delay, New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced the official launch of the Secure Choice Savings Program (the Program). Established in 2021 by an amendment to the New York State General Business Law,...more
10/15/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Employer ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retirement Plan ,
Roth IRA ,
State-Sponsored Retirement Plans
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law legislation authorizing the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to assert jurisdiction over disputes between employers and unions if the National Labor...more
9/11/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Jurisdiction ,
Labor Relations ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Preemption ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions
Effective July 31, 2025, New York will no longer require employers to provide paid sick leave to employees who contract COVID-19.
As discussed in our prior alert, New York has required employers to provide COVID-19 leave...more
7/23/2025
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Health and Safety ,
Hospitality Industry ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
A recent change to New York labor law means employers will no longer face business-crippling lawsuits for minor frequency-of-pay mistakes, as long as they have not previously been found to have violated the state’s...more
5/14/2025
/ Class Action ,
Damages ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Litigation ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Reform ,
Liquidated Damages ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) recently added a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section to its prenatal leave webpage, providing additional insight into the department’s interpretation of a new state law that...more
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas recently vacated the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) regulations issued in April 2024 that increase the salary threshold necessary to satisfy the Executive,...more
As we approach the start of a new year, New York employers should prepare for several wage-related adjustments that will take place on Jan. 1, 2025. Along with an increase to the state’s hourly minimum wage rates, there are...more
The New York City Council passed on Oct. 23, 2024 the Safe Hotels Act, which seeks to establish a licensing program for New York City hotels. Mayor Eric Adams is expected to sign this legislation into law. As discussed in...more
New York retail businesses with 10 or more employees have less than six months to prepare for new workplace violence prevention requirements included in the state’s recently passed Retail Workers Safety Act (RWSA). The law...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit recently vacated the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) latest provisions of its Tip Regulations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, colloquially known as the 80/20/30 Rule through...more
8/29/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Job Duties ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
A federal court in Texas has determined the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) final rule prohibiting most noncompete agreements is unlawful, meaning that for now, employers in jurisdictions that permit such agreements can...more
8/22/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Injunctions ,
Lack of Authority ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Statutory Authority ,
Texas ,
Unfair Competition
Lawmakers recently approved the 2024-2025 New York State budget, revising a number of laws that employers must be mindful of to ensure compliance. Specifically, these changes include: (1) the implementation of prenatal leave...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its final regulations on April 23, 2024 that increase the salary threshold level necessary to exempt certain employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) minimum wage and...more
New York City employers will soon need to post and otherwise distribute a new Worker’s Rights poster. The new poster, recently released by The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protections, includes a QR code...more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released updated guidance regarding COVID-19. On March 1, 2024, the CDC eliminated its recommendation that people who contract the virus isolate for five...more
Beginning June 30, 2024, Washington, D.C. employers will be required to disclose salary or hourly pay ranges and benefits information for open positions. The new law also establishes certain employee protections related to...more
Under a new law that took effect on February 11, 2024, all “sellers” in New York who apply a credit card surcharge to sales transactions must now comply with certain consumer disclosure requirements.
Signed into law by...more
New York’s Appellate Division, Second Department, created a split among the state’s appellate courts on whether individuals have a private right of action to recover damages for violations of the frequency of payments...more
As explained in our previous alert, in October 2023, after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law increases to New York’s minimum wage, the New York State Department of Labor (NY DOL) issued proposed changes to the tip credit,...more
12/28/2023
/ Exempt-Employees ,
Minimum Wage ,
New York ,
NYDOL ,
Over-Time ,
Rate of Pay ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Uniforms ,
Wage and Hour
Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed into law the “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act (the Act), which aims to provide freelance workers certain protections across the state.
New York employers who use freelancers or independent...more
New York State recently enacted further restrictions limiting language that can be contained in employment-related release agreements (including severance, separation, and settlement agreements). The changes, which were...more
Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law in May increases to New York’s minimum wage that will occur over the next few years. The first increase is set to take effect on January 1, 2024. Additional increases to the minimum wage...more
In new draft guidance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission proposes to recognize broad protections for LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace and allow bias claims premised on abortion-related decisions. It also...more
10/4/2023
/ Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sexual Stereotyping ,
Social Media ,
Training ,
Transgender ,
Workplace Harassment Guidance